


Alya Césaire: Investigator Extraordinaire

by not_today (708234)



Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien and Marinette like leather ok, Akuma Attack, Alya Césaire Is The Best, Alya Césaire Knows, Alya Césaire Ships It, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Banter, Bonding, Chloe is so done with all of them, Chloe's just trying to be a good person, Chloé Bourgeois Knows, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois Ships It, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Humor, I couldn't resist, Identity Issues, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Insecurity, Leather Kink, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi Lies, Miraculous Team, Misunderstandings, Nino Lahiffe Is So Done, Nino Lahiffe Knows, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Nino and Chloe are my brotp, Not Cheating, POV Alya Césaire, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pillow Fights, Poor Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Secret Identity, Sleepovers, Sort Of, Teasing, Texting, The Ladyblog (Miraculous Ladybug), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i hateee lila, smoothies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23177323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/708234/pseuds/not_today
Summary: She titled her page "The Mystery of Adrienette", and began making a list of the clues. Adrien and Marinette got together last Friday at the dance. They didn't plan to go together. A week prior, they were acting the same as always. Well, sort of. Adrien had been giving Marinette some significant looks, if she recalled correctly. But Marinette had called her on Wednesday and said she was considering moving on. Had Adrien asked her out, and she had kept it a secret for some reason? Were there secret text messages between them? Where had the nicknames come from?Yeah, she was going to need more paper.--Alya doesn't know how Marinette and Adrien finally got together, but she swears on the Ladyblog that she is going to figure it out. In which Alya is even more confused, Adrien and Marinette are smitten, and Nino and Chloe are just chilling.Sequel to Nino Lahiffe: Matchmaker Extraordinaire
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Nino Lahiffe
Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666168
Comments: 40
Kudos: 642





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And I'm back with a new fic! I had a lot of fun with the first one, so I thought I'd try my hand at a sequel. Please leave comments and kudos to let me know what you think. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

"Good morning kitty! I brought you some treats from the bakery," Marinette said cheerfully as her boyfriend took a seat beside her.

"Aww thanks princess! Although, nothing from the bakery could be as sweet as you!" Adrien punctuated the dramatic statement with a wink, earning a giggle from Marinette.

Alya Cesaire ground her teeth, eyes narrowing at the interaction. 

"Oh, you flatter me!"

"Only because you deserve it, M'lady!"

Just then, Nino walked in, talking to Chloe. The blonde had started hanging out with them recently, and loathe as Alya was to admit it, she really wasn't all that bad.

"Psst, Nino!" Alya called.

Her boyfriend raised a brow (something he'd definitely picked up from Chloe) and plopped down beside her. 

"What's up babe?"

"What's up? What's up?! It's those two!" She hissed, pointing a not-so-subtle finger at the lovebirds in front of them. Not that it mattered anyway. Marinette and Adrien only had eyes for each other at the moment.

To Alya's annoyance, Nino looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Your ship finally sails, and you're mad about it?"

She scowled. "It doesn't make any sense! Last week, Marinette couldn't speak to Adrien without stuttering, and now they're flirting more than Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Ladynoir had also gotten together last week. And while Alya had been thrilled, blasting it across her blog and rubbing it in the face of anyone who had doubted her OTP, the issue of her best friends was rather pressing.

Her angry words only made her boyfriend more amused. "I don't know Al, I'm just glad they finally got together."

"Just you wait, Nino. Something fishy is going on here, and I'm going to figure it out."

And figure it out she would. She wasn't voted Paris' #1 Aspiring Reporter for nothing. She spent the next few moments writing down everything she knew. (But if anyone asked, she was definitely working on the history assignment).

She titled her page "The Mystery of Adrienette", and began making a list of the clues. Adrien and Marinette got together last Friday at the dance. They didn't plan to go together. A week prior, they were acting the same as always. Well, sort of. Adrien had been giving Marinette some significant looks, if she recalled correctly. But Marinette had called her on Wednesday and said she was considering moving on. Had Adrien asked her out, and she had kept it a secret for some reason? Were there secret text messages between them? Where had the nicknames come from?

Yeah, she was going to need more paper.

She was broken out of her thoughts by an elbow nudging her sharply. She turned to face Nino, fully prepared to scold him for distracting her, but he nodded to the front of the room.

"Ah, thank you for joining us Alya. I've been trying to get your attention for a while now." Ms. Bustier said, not unkindly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss!" Alya exclaimed, her annoyance being replaced with embarrassment. She may feel like some classes were a waste of time, but she'd always enjoyed Ms. Bustier’s lessons. "I was just, um, working on something."

The young teacher smiled. "I'm sure it was very interesting. But let's save the Ladybug theories for after school, okay?"

The class giggled and her friends gave her knowing smiles. "Of course. Sorry!"

She really did try to focus after that, but her mind was full of theories. She was still lost in her thoughts when a sweet voice called to her. 

"Hey Alya!"

It was Lila, smiling kindly as she walked up to her. Alya smiled back. She knew Marinette and Adrien didn't like the Italian girl, but she'd never understood why. In her opinion, the girl was really sweet and interesting. She'd gotten a lot of cool interviews from her.

"Hey Lila! Long time no see! Where were you last week?"

"Oh, I actually went with my family to a diplomatic meeting in Indonesia. They thought people might be more receptive to a younger speaker, and they were right. The people at the meeting were really impressed that I could speak on France's behalf."

"Wow that's amazing! I'd give anything to travel like you do. It's really admirable."

"Thanks! I have to say, I was surprised to find out Adrien and Marinette started dating! When did that happen?"

Lila's demeanor seemed to shift a bit as she asked the question. She was gritting her teeth a bit, and her eyes were narrowed. Alya decided she was probably just a little upset that she'd been kept out of the loop.

"It's crazy right? It happened just last week, at the dance."

Lila frowned. "Oh yeah, I really wanted to go to that dance, but I figured Indonesia was a little more important. Anyway, I saw you looking at them a lot today. You seem just as concerned as I am."

Alya was taken aback by that. "Concerned? Why?"

Lila looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, I didn't want to cause any problems, but I worry for Adrien. I mean, he has such a hard life, with his dad and all. And Marinette can be...a bit much sometimes. I know she's been obsessed with him forever, and I'd hate for her to make things harder for him."

Now Alya's eyes were narrowing. "What are you saying?" she practically growled. 

Lila seemed startled by her tone. "I-I didn't mean to be rude. But Marinette hasn't always been kind to me, and she can be very controlling. Poor Adrien wouldn't know how to deal with her if she had one of her crazy moments."

"Crazy?!" Alya exclaimed, feeling the anger filling her. _How dare Lila insult her best friend?_ "Marinette is perfect for Adrien! And she isn't controlling, she's a good leader! Why are you being so rude about her?"

Lila's eyes flashed. "Look, I wasn't trying to get you all worked up. But Marinette has been nothing but awful to me since I moved." Her lip curled in distaste. "I doubt her and Adrien will last longer than a week. In fact, I'm sure of it."

Alya hated the confident look in the other girl's eye. She was starting to understand why her best friend disliked Lila. She'd never seen this side of the Italian, but it was draining her patience. Alya's cheeks were flushed with anger, and she was just about to unleash her irritation when a new voice interrupted them.

"Well Rossi, I always knew you were dumb, but I didn't know you were blind." Chloe said, eyeing the girl with disinterest.

Lila scowled. "What?"

Chloe snorted in that way she had perfected, that way that came from growing up rich and clearly said _I'm a million times better than you._ "It's pretty obvious that Adrikins and Dupain-Cheng are in love. Even I can see it. Either you're in some deep denial, or you're just plain stupid."

Lila's face darkened, and she turned to Alya. "I don't know why your boyfriend has been hanging out with Chloe, but clearly she hasn't changed." Alya watched as the girl's lower lip wobbled. "Do you think I'm stupid too?" The words were spoken timidly, and if this had been a week ago, Alya might have pitied her. But now all she felt was disgust. 

"Actually, I agree with her. Not necessarily that you're dumb, but it's clear that they're in love. "

"And if you feel inclined to mess with that," Chloe added darkly, "Keep in mind that some of us really do know famous people."

Lila's eyes bounced between them warily, before she burst into tears and ran off. Alya didn't feel an ounce of guilt, and Chloe didn't seem to either.

"Thanks for the help back there. You're really not so bad."

Chloe grinned. "Funny, your boyfriend once said the same thing. He sent me to get you, by the way. He was going to come, but he figured the two lovebirds needed a chaperone. They can't keep their hands off each other." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Alya followed Chloe out of the room, mind spinning. Now that she thought about it, Chloe and Nino had become close around the same time that Mari and Adrien started acting weird. Perhaps they were connected? But what could have happened that Nino didn't tell her?

She didn't know what was going on with her friends, but if she had her way, it wouldn't be a mystery for long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya attempts to get more information through texts and phone calls.

**Babe <3 ** _Nino_

 **Luv of My Life** _wow, using my real name and capitalizing. must be important._

 **Babe <3 ** _shut up this is serious_

 **Babe <3 ** _we need to talk_

 **Luv of My Life** _ok, we can chat in a little bit. I'm getting smoothies with Chloe_

 **Luv of My Life** _they have ingredients from two different countries!_

Alya blinked at the texts from her boyfriend in surprise.

 **Babe <3 ** _wut_

 **Babe <3 ** _r u cheating on me_

 **Luv of My Life** _yes. I'm sorry. you never offered me fancy smoothies_

 **Babe <3 ** _wow. I thought we had something special_

 **Babe <3 ** _I watched horror movies for you! HORROR, nino!_

 **Luv of My Life** _and I watched Princess Bride for you. waste of a few hours_

 **Babe <3 ** _you shut your mouth! that movie was my childhood. plus, Westley is hottt_

 **Luv of My Life** _I'm jealous._

 **Luv of My Life** _but seriously, we can talk this evening_

 **Babe <3 ** _good. save me some smoothie_

 **Luv of My Life** _no promisessss_

Alya smiled fondly at the text, then winced at a loud crash from the kitchen. Right. She was babysitting the twins. She sighed before putting down her phone and making her way towards the source of the commotion. 

“Alright girls!” she exclaimed, a wide smile firmly in place as she did her best to ignore the mess on the floor. “Who wants to watch a princess movie?”

***

Alya didn’t get a chance to call Nino until after 10 pm that night. Not that it mattered, since she was a night owl. Her boyfriend, however, was absolutely not.

“Hey babe,” she greeted after he had picked up, pressing the speaker button so she could talk and edit her latest akuma footage simultaneously.

A loud yawn came from the other side. _“Why must you call me so late?”_

Alya laughed. “It’s literally only ten. Is that way past your bedtime?” she asked teasingly.

 _“Rude. And yes, I’ll have you know I go to bed every night at 8:30 on the dot.”_ Alya snorted. _“What was it you wanted to talk about?”_

“It’s the Adrien and Marinette thing, obviously.”

_“Ah. You got some theories to run by me?”_

“Not quite. Actually I - Oh my gosh Nino, I got the perfect shot of Ladybug and Cat Noir together. This is so going to go viral!”

 _“Good job babe.”_ Nino said, sounding amused. _“But I really hope that’s not why you woke me up.”_

“Oh, right. Focus. So I couldn’t help but notice that you and Chloe started talking around the same time our favorite oblivious idiots started acting weird.”

_“Is that so?”_

“It is.”

_“Wow. What an interesting coincidence.”_

Alya groaned at his too-innocent tone. “Ninoooo.”

_“Alyaaa. Trust me, I don’t think this is the connection you’re looking for.”_

“So you’re telling me your new friendship has _nothing_ to do with it?”

_“Nah, not really.”_

“Ugh. Well then I’m back to square one. Do you think I should check Mari’s phone? Maybe they were secretly texting each other. Maybe they’ve been secretly dating for weeks, but they just decided to make it public.” There was a long silence from the other end. Alya frowned and brought the phone closer to her mouth. “Nino?”

_“Huh?! What? Oh. Sorry Al, I sort of -"_

“- fell asleep.” Alya finished with a smile. “Go ahead and get to bed babe. I know you’re tired”

Nino yawned again. _“Thanks. We can talk tomorrow. Oh wait, I meant to ask, can I invite Chloe to our movie night tomorrow?”_

Alya hesitated at that. Friday movie nights had become a thing for the four of them, and this week's was at her house. She was warming up to the newest member of their group, but this seemed like a large step. "Okay, I guess so," she finally said. "But she better not talk during the movie."

Nino chuckled. _"Alya, you and Nette always talk the entire time."_

"That's besides the point."

_"Okay, okay, I'll tell her. Thanks babe. Love you."_

"I love you too."

The call ended with a muted beep, and Alya put the finishing touches on her new Ladyblog post. When she was satisfied, she submitted it and began getting ready for bed. She was just about to slide under the covers when her phone rang. _Who would call me at this time?_ She could only think of three people, but one of them was asleep and the other two were too obsessed with each other to call anyone else.

To her surprise, it was Marinette. She didn’t mind, of course. Late-night phone calls were one of her favorite parts of their friendship. But Alya hadn’t had many private conversations with her best friend since she started dating Adrien.

“Hey girl! What’s up?”

_“Hey Alya. I’m sorry if I’m bothering you.”_

Alya frowned at Marinette’s dejected tone. “You could never bother me. What’s wrong?”

_“It’s just...do you think Adrien really likes me?”_

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I have never seen Sunshine Boy as smitten as he’s been these last few days. And that’s saying something, considering I’ve listened to like three of his 'Ladybug is Amazing' speeches. I’ve never seen him flirt like that with anyone, and it’s pretty clear that he’d do anything for you. I can say, without a doubt, that Adrien Agreste is one-hundred percent, head over heels in love with you.”

There was a short silence on the other end. _“Wow, thanks Alya. I think that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”_

“Anytime girl. But what brought this on”

_“I don’t know, just overthinking it I guess."_

After years of friendship, Alya could read Marinette’s tone easily. She was hiding something. “What is it Mari? You can tell me.”

_“Okay, but I’m not sure you’ll want to hear it. Lila’s just been saying some stuff.”_

Alya grit her teeth in anger. “Mari, you were right. Lila is a good-for-nothing liar. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before.”

 _“Oh. Really? That - that’s great. Thank you.”_ her voice was tinged with emotion and shock.

“Don’t thank me, I should have realized earlier. Now, what did Lie-la do now?”

_“She sent me a recording, saying it was from a conversation she had with Adrien. He said he didn’t really like me, and he was just dating me out of pity. Alya, it sounded so much like his voice.”_

"There's no way that's real! Ugh, just wait until I get my hands on that scheming fox!"

_"Please don't worry about it. All that matters to me is that my true friends believe me. I don't want to make a big deal out of it."_

"Girl, this is a big deal! To think I put her on my blog. Don't worry, I'll expose her so well - "

 _" - Alya, don't."_ Alya's eyes widened in surprise at the commanding tone. _"Trust me, it'll only make things worse."_

She sighed. "Fine, if that's what you want. Oh, while we're on the topic, you've been holding out on me!"

_"What?"_

"You still haven't told me how you and Adrien got together!"

_"Oh yeah. Well, it sort of happened out of nowhere. We just realized we...had a lot more in common than we thought. Actually, it seems like we have Nino and Chloe to thank."_

Alya froze. "What do you mean?"

_"The two of them were apparently trying to get us together for a week! They were the ones who finally opened our eyes."_

"That lying meddler!" Alya growled.

_"Huh? Are we talking about Lila again?"_

"No, no. It's Nino. He told me he had nothing to do with it!"

_"Really? Maybe he felt bad that they didn't include you."_

"Maybe. But why _didn't_ they include me?"

 _"I don't know."_ Marinette sounded strangely nervous. _"Maybe they knew something you didn't. Oh, Adrien's calling me!"_

Alya smiled at how pleased her best friend sounded. "Well then, you'd better answer. Tell lover boy I say hi."

_"I will! Goodnight Alya!"_

"Goodnight."

Marinette ended the call, and Alya was left alone with her thoughts. So Nino _had_ played a role in Adrienette finally dating. But why hadn't he told her? And why hadn't he included her? How could he prefer working with Chloe over his girlfriend?

Marinette's cryptic words echoed in her mind. _Maybe they knew something you didn't._ What could that be? Alya had shipped Adrienette since the whole umbrella incident. She was Mari's BFF, and she knew everything about the girl. And she'd always prided herself on being observant around the pair. If Adrien was harboring secret feelings for her bestie, she would have noticed. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment or kudos to let me know! Next chapter should be up tomorrow. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five teenagers have a sleepover, Adrien and Marinette like leather, and Alya finally warms up to Chloe.

"Good morning!" Nino said cheerfully, dropping a cup of her favorite coffee onto her desk. Alya glared at him. She may love her coffee, but she wasn't going to let it distract her.

"You lied to me," she accused plainly.

Nino seemed confused for a moment, and then he grinned. "Alright fine. You got me. I loved the Princess Bride."

Alya scowled at him. "I'm going to ignore that for the time being, but I will definitely bring it up later. That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it. You and Chloe played matchmaker last week."

Nino sighed and slumped in his seat. "Alright, fine. We might have something to do with it. But it's not a big deal."

"Really Nino? Aside from the fact that you lied to me, you purposefully kept me in the dark. Why?"

Nino took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair, a tell-tale sign that he was nervous. "It's nothing personal, I promise. It was just easier for me to work with Chloe on this one."

" _ Chloe?"  _ She hissed, leaning forward. "It was easier to work with the girl who has bullied Marinette for years? Over her best friend and your  _ girlfriend? _ "

He winced. "Look Al, I wanted to tell you. But we were dealing with some...sensitive information."

"What does that even mean? If you prefer Chloe over me, you can just say it!"

"Alya and Nino!" Ms. Bustier called, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but class is starting."

The class was looking at them curiously. It made sense, considering her and Nino never fought. Lila was grinning triumphantly, as if she was responsible for the conflict. Alya wanted to punch her.

"Yes ma'am," she said instead, seeing Nino nod out of the corner of her eye. She did her best to ignore him as the lesson began.

Halfway into the class, he slid a note her way. She refused to look at it for a few minutes, but eventually gave in.

_ I'm sorry. Of course you mean more than Chloe. She's just a new friend. I love you. XOXO _

She fought back a smile, but squeezed his hand under the table to tell him he was forgiven. She could never stay mad at him. 

After class, Chloe walked over to them.

"So, what's the deal with this movie thing?"

Alya forced a smile. She had forgotten about the movie night. The thought of having to be nice to Chloe all evening was exhausting, but she'd do it for Nino.

"It's at my house this week," she said. "We usually wear pjs, and you're free to stay the night. We'll pick the movie when everyone is there."

"Okay," Chloe nodded, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "I've never really gone over to someone's house. Should I bring something? Snacks?"

Alya felt a pang of sympathy. Chloe may have been a brat in the past, but she was clearly trying. She'd never gotten to do teenager-y things, like slumber parties. Alya's smile suddenly felt much more real.

"You can bring whatever you want! I'll have some snacks, but more are always welcome!”

“I’m really glad you’re coming, Chlo,” Adrien said, smiling kindly. Chloe’s expression softened a bit at that, and Alya felt even less tense. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad.

***

The movie night certainly wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It started out slightly rocky, since the mom who was supposed to pick the twins up for their own sleepover was over an hour late. Alya had planned on letting her friends hang out in her room while she watched the girls, but Adrien reassured her that they didn't mind hanging out with her sisters. Nino and Adrien had come together, and Marinette had come home with her right after school. Chloe arrived last. She had taken a look at the four of them, sitting on the floor playing a board game with the twins, and Alya had prepared for some snarky remark. But to her surprise, the blonde had simply shrugged and plopped down beside Marinette.

For being an only child, Chloe was rather good with the kids. She was patient with them, and played along with everyone without fuss. She did scold Etta at one point, when the younger girl was caught cheating, but it was good-natured and seemed to work. By the time their ride arrived, Ella was sporting an impressive french braid, courtesy of Chloe herself, and Etta was begging her to come over again sometime. Alya felt strangely proud, and for once, she found she really didn’t mind expanding her friend group.

They had chosen the movie after that. There was some debate, but they eventually settled on a superhero movie that promised identity shenanigans. Nino and Chloe had shared a smile when they chose it, as if referencing some inside joke. Alya decided not to question it, and firmly ignored the ugly feeling in her gut.

An hour later, they were all stretched out in the living room, snacks everywhere. Alya and Nino had claimed the couch, and were cuddling under a blanket, sharing popcorn. Chloe was sprawled out on an armchair, and Adrien and Marinette were curled up on a blanket on the floor. The girls were having a hard time staying quiet.

"Ugh, what is he doing! Just tell her you like her!" Marinette cried in frustration.

The main character stuttered over his words, before chickening out and running off-screen.

"BOOO!" Alya exclaimed, throwing popcorn at the TV.

"I can't take this anymore!" Chloe groaned. "It's too cringy."

"I know right!" Marinette agreed. "How hard can it be for him to just confess?"

Nino snorted. "Oh yeah, for sure. Confessing your feelings to your crush is the easiest thing." He gave Marinette a pointed look, and she winced sheepishly as Chloe and Alya laughed.

"Oh, the irony!" Chloe said.

Adrien frowned. "Wait, I don't get it. What's the joke?"

Alya's eyebrows shot up. "No way. You're telling me you never knew? After all the insane confession attempts?"

Nino sighed. "He definitely didn't know, and he still doesn't."

Chloe snickered. "Don't worry Adrikins, you're not the only oblivious one."

"Yeah, yeah, they're idiots," Nino said, rolling his eyes. "Now can we please shut up and watch the cringy movie?"

Everyone obliged. Well, for about 20 minutes, until the main characters did something stupid again.

Alya noticed that Nino and Chloe kept sharing glances and smiles throughout the film. It seemed to be every time the heroes did something oblivious, or when their identities caused some problem. She knew they had become good friends, and it made sense that they'd have an inside joke. But logic didn’t stop her from feeling the teensy-tiniest bit jealous. She wanted to be the one meeting her boyfriend's gaze and laughing with him. But she was being stupid. Chloe was her friend now too, and she had to be fine with anything that made the blonde more comfortable. 

The movie was done by 10, but nobody was ready to go to bed yet. They hung out in the living room for a while, just talking and snacking. After that, Alya roped them into helping her edit some Ladyblog content, and so they all crashed into her room. Adrien was sitting at her desk and working on Physics homework (which Alya was definitely going to bribe him for later). Nino was leaning on the windowsill, alternating between eating Cheerios and throwing them at Adrien. He had strangely good aim. Marinette and Chloe were the only one's helping her. Mari was looking through her photos for ones good enough to post, and Chloe was helping her think up captions and article ideas.

"Okay, what about this one?" Mari asked, pulling up a photo of Ladybug staring down an akuma while Chat Noir watched her fondly. Adrien turned around to look at the picture, and a light pink dotted his cheeks. Marinette was also blushing a bit. Weird.

"That's cute," Adrien said softly.

"Yeah, I like it," Alya agreed.

Nino laughed, throwing a Cheerio that managed to land in the model's hair. "Being a superhero seems like a good gig. 25% fighting villains, 75% staring at your partner adoringly."

Adrien shook his head. "Nah, a good 50% is crashing into walls and the ground."

"Yeah, but the crashing is sometimes a side effect of the partner-staring," Chloe added smirking. "Didn't Ladybug fall off a roof that one time because Chat Noir flirted with her?"

Nino grinned and Alya hid a smile. She had been terrified for the hero, but it had been amusing.

Marinette scowled indignantly. "It's not her fault! Chat Noir is hot!"

The room was silent for a good five seconds, as everyone paused to stare at Marinette. And then the spell was broken, as Nino, Chloe and finally Alya burst out laughing.

Adrien grinned almost smugly. "Wow princess, I didn't know you liked him that much. Is it the suit?"

"Oh my god!" Alya choked out struggling to breathe. "You have a leather kink!"

That only prompted more laughter. Alya had never seen Marinette blush so hard. 

"I do  _ not  _ have a kink!"

"You sure about that, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe asked. "Because when I sent you that picture of Adrien in a leather jacket a couple days ago, you left me on read for an hour. Seemed like you were having a major freak-out."

"You did  _ what?"  _ Adrien exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. Alya's stomach was starting to hurt from all the laughter. Nino was currently rolling around on her floor, tears in his eyes. She wasn't sure if her boyfriend would ever breathe again.

"He-he looked hot!" Marinette protested, curling into a corner. And man, Alya had thought she was blushing hard before. But now,  _ wow. _ She was redder than Nathaniel had ever been.

"Um, thanks?" Adrien, who was now also blushing, said. "I think you'd look hot in leather too."

Yep, Alya was never going to recover from this moment. She was ready to die and go to heaven, content to know that her two best friends had leather kinks.

"Fantastic. Next thing you know, Lahiffe is going to have a thing for leather." Chloe said.

Nino finally sat up, took a deep breath, and locked eyes with his best friend. "I don't know dudette, but Chat Noir is definitely sexy. 10/10 would smash."

And now Alya was 100% sure they had broken Adrien, considering his haunted look and dropped jaw. Wonderful.

Nino turned to her. "But obviously, Alya would look much hotter in leather."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Marinette said from her corner, still brilliantly red.

"Now hold on." Adrien said suddenly. "Sure, Alya's attractive. But Chat Noir definitely does the leather thing better."

Nino raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Have you  _ seen _ my girlfriend's curves?"

"OKAY!" Chloe cried, shooting up from her spot on the floor. "That's enough of that. Boys, get out. We're all going to bed."

Surprisingly enough, everyone listened. Whether it was because Chloe was freaking terrifying, or because nobody wanted to keep talking about leather, Alya didn't know. But she was glad.

The boys were sleeping in the twin's room. and the girls were in Alya's. Alya had initially offered Chloe the bed, assuming the blonde had never slept on the floor, but the girl had denied, choosing the sleeping bag instead. 

"Tonight is a night for trying new things!" Chloe had declared, struggling to set up the sleeping bag. Marinette had eventually taken pity on her and helped her out.

Marinette and Alya were sharing Alya's bed, like they usually did. Of course, the girls didn't end up going to bed until well after midnight. They stayed up for a while, chatting about everything from boys to Paris' resident superheroes.  As Alya drifted off to sleep, Marinette curled up beside her and Chloe snoring softly from the ground, she couldn't help but feel content.  _ I could get used to this. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and kudos are appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang has some more bonding time, but Alya is starting to feel a bit left out.

The week passed, mostly uneventfully. The five of them started hanging out more, either at Alya's house or the bakery. Alya had sort of given up on figuring out what the deal was with Adrien and Marinette. Their flirting and loving looks looked so _normal_ , and she was having a hard time remembering the days when they had barely talked. But although she was no longer concerned with her best friend's relationship, she couldn't help but feel odd about Nino and Chloe. 

It didn't make any sense. Sure, she was enjoying hanging out with the blonde. But her and Nino were _strangely_ close. Apparently, to the point where he had chosen Chloe over her to play matchmaker with. But Alya definitely _wasn't_ mad. Just...concerned.

She had tried talking to Marinette about it during a phone call at one in the morning.

"I just don't get it girl! They never talked before, and now they're suddenly best friends?"

_"Well, Chloe is way nicer now. Maybe they have something in common."_

Alya thought back to the looks the pair had shared during the movie night, and the large inside joke they seemed to be sharing. She'd tried to figure it out, but all she knew was that it had something to do with cringy situations, and maybe secret identities. Maybe Chloe knew Nino was Carapace? But it wasn't like Chloe's identity was exactly secret. And Alya had a superhero alter-ego too!

"No way, they would have talked about it. Or at least mentioned it. And Nino is totally suspicious when I ask."

_"Maybe just don't overthink it. You're going a little crazy Al. It's almost like you're jealous."_

"Jealous?!" Alya had sputtered indignantly. "I am not! Why would I be jealous of someone who can't even leave the house without applying fifty layers of make-up?"

_"Woah there, girl. No need to be mean. I know you like Chloe."_

Alya took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do. It's just frustrating. I feel so out of the loop with everything these days."

_"I get it. Trust me, I don't think Chloe has any intention of stealing Nino. Don't worry about it too much."_

And so Alya had done her best to ignore it, focusing instead on how full and entertaining their friend group felt now. The five of them were currently in the school library, working on homework. Well, Adrien and Marinette were working on homework. Alya was pretending to plan out an essay, although she wasn't really being productive at all. Nino had his headphones on, and he was staring at a textbook, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn't reading a word on the page. Chloe hadn't even bothered to pretend she was working, choosing to instead scroll through her Instagram feed. It was after school on a Thursday, so Alya honestly couldn't blame her.

"Oh gosh, why would she post that? That outfit is totally clashing," the blonde said, grimacing at her phone.

"Chloe," Adrien scolded, not bothering to look up from his paper. "Remember what we talked about. Being nice means _not_ insulting people's appearance."

"But Adrien," the blonde whined, " It really is awful!" She turned the phone around, and Alya winced at the photo.

"Okay, I've got to agree with Chloe on this one," Alya said.

"Me too!" Marinette piped up, peeking over the textbook she'd propped up in front of her. "My inner fashion designer hurts."

Adrien shook his head and sighed. "C'mon guys, we're supposed to be teaching Chloe how to be a decent person."

"Oh come on Adrikins," Chloe said. "Even you have to agree that she looks horrendous."

Alya and Marinette nodded, and Adrien leveled them with his disapproving gaze. Nino snorted.

"Wow dude, you've got the 'disappointed dad' look down. You look just like my old man."

The table laughed at that, but Adrien just looked confused. "The what?"

"The 'disappointed dad' look!" Marinette repeated. "It's a classic. You know, when you do something stupid or rude and your dad gives you that look of utter exasperation."

"Oh," Adrien said quietly. "My dad always wears that look then."

An awkward silence descended over the group, and Alya cursed Gabriel Agreste in her mind. _Stupid neglectful father._ Marinette opened her mouth, hopefully to say something kind that would cheer the poor model up, when she was interrupted by a sickly sweet voice.

"Hey guys!" Lila called, grinning widely. Five pairs of eyes glared at her, but she didn't seem fazed. "Adrien, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment?"

The boy in question frowned, and Nino spoke up before his best friend could. "Whatever you have to say to him, you can say to all of us."

"Oh, well I would! It's just kind of...personal. It's not something I can say in front of certain people." Her eyes flicked over to Marinette, and Alya felt her anger boil over.

"If you're here to lie about Mari again, you can save it!" she said, scowling.

Lila looked surprised, but Alya knew it was all fake. "Lies? I'd never lie to you! It's that what Marinette's been telling you? I didn't want to say this in front of everyone, but I really don't think we can trust her, since -"

"Like Alya said, save it Lila," Adrien broke in, looking furious. "I don't want to hear what you have to say about my girlfriend. None of your lies can make me change my mind about her. I love her."

Lila seethed, clearly ready to continue lying, when Chloe spoke softly. "Just let it go Lila. You can make a lot more friends by being the real you, not pretending to be someone else and putting people down. Trust me, I would know."

The rest of the table stared at her with varying levels of shock and pride, but Lila's face screwed up in anger. "Don't act like you're all high and mighty! You may have fooled them into thinking you're different, but I know it's all fake. I heard what you were saying about Isabella Matthews!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Lila laughed, harshly and without humor. "Wow, you don't even know her name. That girl you were bad mouthing like five minutes ago! The one on Instagram."

Nino's eyebrows shot up. "Hold up dudette, you were _spying on us_?"

Lila ignored him. "Just wait until I tell her what you all said. I'm sure she'll want to know that Marinette, the little angel, and Alya, the self-righteous reporter, also joined in. I don't even have to lie this time! Congratulations Chloe, you've just caused another akuma!" She stomped off, ignoring their protests.

Adrien looked at them pointedly, and Alya groaned. "Ok fine. Point taken. No more making fun of people, period."

Chloe was looking down at her phone again, avoiding their gaze. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Marinette shot her a small smile. "Hey, don't worry about it, we were all in the wrong. We'll go apologize to Isabella together."

Chloe didn't look up, and Nino leaned closer to her. "What's wrong, dudette?"

The blonde sighed. "I really am trying to be better, I swear. I know I'm not perfect, and I've made a lot of mistakes. But it's not just an act."

Nino spoke up quickly. "Don't worry Chloe, we know."

"Yeah, Lila's just a liar."

"You've changed for sure. We know it isn't fake."

The girl seemed less tense after their kind words. "Thanks guys."

"MY OUTFITS ARE NOT "CLASHY"! SOON EVERYONE IN PARIS WILL BE WEARING MY STYLE, AND THEY'LL LOVE IT!"

The five teenagers cringed at the bellowing voice.

"And there's the akuma," Marinette said, shutting her textbook as shrieks filled the school.

Nino rolled his eyes, closing his own book. "What is it with Hawkmoth and ruining bonding moments?"

Adrien grinned. "I'll be sure to ask him when. we defeat him." His gaze flicked over to Alya, and panic filled his eyes. "I-I mean when Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat him. Then they can ask him. Because obviously they're the superheroes. Haha."

Alya shook her head. "What was that, Agreste? You're almost as bad as Mari!"

"Hey!" Marinette cried.

"Ready to go babe?" Nino said, smiling at her. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Go where?"

"Uh, to the akuma attack?"

"Oh, no we don't have to go out today. I've got plenty of footage from the last few battles."

Nino frowned. "Okay, well me and Chloe are gonna go. We like to keep an eye on the battle." That was kinda weird. Nino usually didn't like chasing the superheroes during attacks.

"Oh no!" Adrien exclaimed suddenly, looking around frantically. "I can't find Plagg!" His eyes widened. "I mean flag! My flag! That's really important. I need to go find it _right now._ " He ran off, Marinette close on his heels.

Alya chucked. "Okay that was definitely strange…" she trailed off as she realized that Nino and Chloe were gone. She was alone in the library. "Right then. Left out again." She grabbed her stuff, trying not to feel upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know there wasn't much plot in this chapter, but I couldn't resist the chance to write some more group interaction. Kudos and comments always appreciated. The last chapter should be up tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya comes to the wrong conclusion about what's going on, but luckily Plagg is there to save the day.

Unable to find any of her friends after leaving the library, she decided to just go to the locker room and put her textbooks up. She passed a few teenagers in not-so-fashionable outfits (that wasn't an insult) so she assumed the akuma had already been through the school. It was sort of odd how normal the attacks had become. Originally, people had reacted by screaming and running. But now, unless the akuma was something truly terrifying, Parisians just went on with their normal lives, confident that the superheroes would take care of it. What a crazy world they lived in.

When she reached the locker room, she was surprised to hear familiar voices inside. It sounded like...Nino and Chloe? Why would they be in the locker room?  _ Alone?  _ She heard another nasally voice that she didn't recognize, and so she crept into the locker room and carefully peeked around the corner.

The scene in front of her almost made her drop her book. Chloe and Nino were there alright, but their attention was focused on a tiny, floating creature. No, not a creature. A  _ kwami.  _ Alya leaned forward and strained her eyes. The kwami definitely wasn't a bee or a turtle. It was a cat. What were they doing with Chat Noir's kwami? They were all the way at the end of the hall, so she couldn't make out what they were saying. But it seemed like Nino was scolding the cat. But why? Why was her boyfriend so comfortable with Chat Noir's kwami?

_ Unless… _ Alya gasped quietly. Maybe Nino  _ was  _ Chat Noir!  _ But what about all those times he was with her during attacks? _ Now that she thought about it, they hadn't been together during an akuma battle for a while. And Chat Noir and Ladybug had been acting differently lately, almost like they were...new to the job.

It seemed preposterous. But what other explanation was there? So her boyfriend was somehow the new Chat Noir. But was there a new Ladybug too? Who could it possibly be?

Alya's heart stopped as her gaze landed on the blonde beside Nino, who was shaking her head at the kwami. Chloe. It suddenly made so much sense. Their inside joke about secret identities. Their sudden close friendship. The way they were always out, and together, during akuma attacks.

But wait. Chat Noir and Ladybug had just started  _ dating.  _ Alya felt like she was going to be sick.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Alya whirled around at the voice, coming face to face with a vicious-looking Lila Rossi.

"Spying on people Alya, really? I knew you were nosy, but wow. What's going on over there?" Lila tried to peek around the corner, but Alya shot up quickly to stop her. Nino may be cheating on her, but Alya owed it to Paris to make sure someone as dangerous as Lila didn't discover the kwami.

"None of your business, Lie-la. As I recall, you were spying on  _ us _ just earlier today. I believe Nino called you out on it too."

Lila grinned. "Oh yes, your  _ boyfriend _ . I'm sure he'd be proud to know you're snooping around. Where is he anyway? From what I've seen, he's been spending more time with Chloe than you!"

Alya felt her heart squeeze painfully, and she rolled her eyes to mask the hurt. "Because they're  _ friends, _ idiot. I know that's probably a foreign term to you."

The other girl scowled. "Shut up Cesaire! I have plenty of friends. Everyone loves me, except you and your band of misfits!"

"What's going on over here?" It was Nino, coming up behind her and glaring at Lila, Chloe following suit.

Lila smiled in triumph. "Oh, so it was you two she was spying on. Huh, I always thought you were jealous, Alya."

Nino turned to her worriedly. "Spying?"

"I wasn't," she said quickly, ignoring the way the lie made her heart ache. "I was just looking for you guys."

"Well there you go," Chloe said firmly. "You can clear off now Lila, we don't have time for this." Alya tried not to think about  _ why _ they didn't have time to stick around during an akuma.

The Italian initially stood her ground, but when she realized she wasn't going to win any of them over, she shot Alya a nasty look before exiting the locker room.

"Good riddance," Chloe muttered, rolling her eyes. Alya felt relief bubble up in her, but quickly stamped it down. Why was it so hard to hate the blonde? Why did she have to like Chloe?

"Okay, well Chloe and I should go. We try to always, um, keep an eye on the superheroes."

Alya was going to let them go, but she grabbed Nino's sleeve. "Wait, I need to talk to you. Alone. Please, it's important."

Nino nodded after a moment, concern crossing his features. His caring nature was one of the main things she loved about him. Well, there were a lot of things that she loved about Nino Lahiffe. But he was clearly happier with someone else. Strangely, she didn't feel angry. Just resigned.

Alya took a deep breath as Chloe shut the door behind her. "I know what's going on," she blurted. "I know why you have to go to the akuma battles."

Nino paled, stepping away a little. Alya clenched her hands into fists, forcing herself to not reach out for him. "You...you do?"

"Yeah, I do. Nino, why didn't you tell me?"

He snatched his hat of his head and ran a hand through his hair. Alya pretended it wasn't an endearing action. "Look, I really wanted to. But it wasn't my secret to tell. I'm sorry we kept it from you babe."

"Don't call me babe," she said, surprising even herself with the quiet intensity of her words. "Don't call me that when you call someone else babe too."

Nino's regretful expression morphed into one of confusion. "Wait, what?"

Alya felt familiar anger surge at his obviously fake expression. Anger was good. Anger was better than hurt.

"Don't say 'what' to me, Nino Lahiffe! I know everything. I know you're Chat Noir, I know Chloe is Ladybug, and I know you two have been dating behind my back. How dare you just stand there like you haven't been cheating on me!"

Nino blinked at her for two seconds, and then promptly burst out laughing. Alya felt her heart sink even further as tears of humiliation and anger pricked her eyes.

"I'm glad you find it so funny!" she exclaimed over her ex-boyfriends laughter. She wiped a tear away angrily. "Yeah go ahead, laugh it up!"

"No wait!" Nino said, gasping for breath. "I-I'm sorry, it's just-" he took in another breath. "Your face!"

Alya scowled, crossed her arms over her chest, and headed for the door. She wasn't going to stick around if he was just going to make fun of her.

"Alya, wait!" he called. She ignored him, leaving the room and briskly walking away. It would be ok. She would be ok. She'd just buy a few gallons of ice cream and ask Marinette to come over. She was fine.

"No, Alya please, let me explain!" Nino cried, running to catch up with her. "Trust me, this is just a misunderstanding!"

Alya stubbornly kept her eyes forward. "I don't want to hear anything from you, Lahiffe." She was just about to turn the corner when a floating black cat blocked her way, startling her into jumping back, right into Nino.

"Relax, girl. You've got the wrong idea."

"Y-You're Chat Noir's kwami," she stammered.

"That I am. But I am  _ not _ this kid's kwami," he said, flying over to land on an irritated looking Nino's shoulder. 

Nino frowned at the cat. "Shouldn't you be with-"

"Shut it Cap Boy, I'm helping you out here." The kwami turned to Alya and smiled unsettlingly. "I swear, you humans get dumber and dumber every year. As much as I would love to have someone as chill as Nino for my chosen, the universe doesn't work that way. He is definitely not Chat Noir."

Alya's eyes darted between the kwami and the boy. "Are you sure?"

The creature floated closer, suddenly looking a lot more serious. "Are you doubting the word of a god?"

Alya quickly started to apologize, but the cat waved her words off with his tiny paw. "Chill out, I'm not going to curse you. That gets old after like, the fifth time you do it. But I'm going to need you to trust me when I say that Nino over here would  _ never  _ cheat on you. Adrien may be obviously smitten for Marinette, but this kid loves you just as much, maybe even more, and he's incredibly loyal. I should know, he's been feeding me cheese for months."

Nino looked both pleased and shocked by the speech. "Wow. Um, thanks Plagg."

Something suddenly clicked into place as Adrien's words from earlier floated into her mind.  _ I need to find Plagg!  _ "Oh. My. Gosh." Alya said slowly, eyes widening. " _ You're  _ Plagg. As in Adrien's Plagg. Which means that Adrien is Chat Noir. And Adrien is dating Marinette, which means Marinette is Ladybug." Everything suddenly made sense, and Alya felt dizzy as all the clues flew through her head. The costumes at the party. Adrienette and Ladynoir getting together during the same weekend. Nino and Chloe knowing some "sensitive information" they used to match-make. The freaking  _ nicknames. _

Alya turned to Plaag who was grinning gleefully. "Fantastic, now all of you know, so Tikki and I don't have to stay cooped up while you guys are hanging out. Well, it's been fun, but there's an akuma to fight." And with that, the cat zoomed off.

Nino grinned sheepishly. "Surprise?"

***

"I still can't believe you thought I'd go out with Lahiffe," Chloe said, hugging a pillow to her chest and shooting Nino a disgusted look.

They were all in Marinette's room for the weekly movie night, but all they had done so far was eat desserts and talk. Marinette had introduced them all to Tikki in the beginning, and then the two kwamis had flown off to a corner where they were sharing a croissant.

"Hey now, I'll have you know I'm a catch," Nino protested.

"Oh yeah, totally sexy. 10/10 would smash,"Adrien deadpanned, earning giggles from the girls.

"Come on Chloe, what else was I supposed to think? It's not like anyone filled me in." She was only teasing, but Marinette sat up quickly.

"I'm sorry!" she said, for probably the hundredth time.

Alya smiled at her. "Don't worry girl, I forgive you."

"How about we just make a promise?" Adrien said. "No more secrets between us."

The five teenagers all nodded solemnly, and the room grew quiet for a moment. Until Nino broke the silence, rather loudly.

"Chloe has a crush on Luka!" he shouted, immediately shielding himself with a pillow, as if expecting someone was going to hit him. Judging by the sudden murderous look on Chloe's face, that idea wasn't so far-fetched.

"She  _ what?"  _ Marinette squawked, eyes wide, as Adrien just gaped. Alya was cackling from her side of the bed. She probably sounded like a witch, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Nino Lahiffe, I am going to skin you alive!" Chloe shrieked, grabbing a pillow and beginning to beat Nino with it. He let himself be hit a few times before snatching another pillow and fighting back.

"Adrien!" he called as Chloe attacked him mercilessly. "I need some back up here bro!" 

Adrien shook out of his stupor and headed over to help. Chloe squealed as the boys cornered her. "Marinette, get over here! I need your Ladybug strength!" The girl in question faltered for a moment at the use of her first name, but she quickly recovered, grabbing her own pillow.

Alya watched them with a wide smile, shaking her head fondly. Nobody would ever guess that those four teenagers were also superheroes. 

"Alya, help us!" Nino cried from where he was pinned under a very determined Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Alya threw a pillow at his head. "You really think I wouldn't side with my best friend?"

Marinette rolled off him with a smile, and Nino clutched his chest dramatically. "Attacked by my own girlfriend! The tragedy! The betrayal!"

Chloe shut him up with a pillow to the face.

"Hey, you'll pay for that!" Adrien shouted, throwing a cushion that narrowly missed Chloe and hit Alya instead.

"Oh it is on Agreste!" Alya said, jumping into the fray.

So maybe they were wild, and sometimes they acted a little bit childish. But they were her friends, and she wouldn't have them any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it! I've got all kinds of time now that I'm out of school for a few weeks, so if you have a prompt idea, please let me know in the comments. I'll probably be writing another story in this series, maybe with some Luka/Chloe, so keep an eye out. Thanks so much for reading. Stay safe and healthy!


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